


hate

by smthkth



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bottom Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Butler, Cute, Cute Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hate to Love, Love/Hate, M/M, Maid, POV Third Person, Top Mark, i'm spoiling my own story, personal assistant, possible smut idk, side norenmin ????, that kinda thing, vines will probably be mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 17:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17923337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smthkth/pseuds/smthkth
Summary: in which mark and donghyuck hate each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is the prologue and i wrote it in a bit of a hurry, so i apologize if it isn't the best.

it all started when donghyuck spilled his coffee on mark. now, of course it was completely intentional. the two had been fighting with each other since the day they entered the world, they never could get along. it seemed almost unnatural for them if they weren’t spitting out insults at each other whenever they could. there was no reason for them to hate each other, at least not at the start. but lets get into that later. 

“what the hell did you do that for?” mark asked, it was quite obvious that he was angry. quite reasonable too, after all, donghyuck had just permanently stained his brand new white shirt. 

“oh, sorry mark. i didn’t see you there. it was a complete accident.” though the smirk that donghyuck wore told that this was no accident. “it’s just a shirt, nothing to get upset over.”  
and with that, mark walked off, leaving a very confused donghyuck to fend for himself as the hallways flooded with people. 

the boy shook his head, wondering if he should actually meet with mark after school. he knew he’d probably regret it, but he couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the best of him. with on last shake of his head a sigh escaped his mouth, “whatever you say, marker “hyung.” god, i hate that guy.” he mumbled underneath his breath as he finally got up off the floor and made his way to his first class of the day. 

mark was fuming, something about the younger boy just pissed him off. and yes, it was just a shirt. he had plenty of money to by a new one if he really wanted to. hell, he could buy thousands of that same shirt if he wanted to. but donghyuck drew the last straw. years of anger and grudges had built up so much that mark couldn’t take it anymore. he grabbed the smaller boy by his shirt collar and pinned him up against the wall. 

“listen here you little shit,” mark said through gritted teeth, “it’s quite fucking obvious that this was no accident. you’re going to make up for this and the rest of the shit you’ve done on “accident.” so, i recommend that you wipe that smug look off your face before i do much worse than pin you against a wall.” 

once the taller of the two was done with his little rant, he let go of the shirt he was holding onto and dusted off his hand on his pants like nothing ever happened. 

a small ‘oof’ was heard as doghyuck hit the ground, falling flat on his bum. “how you suggest i make it up to you then?” he asked, not even bothering to get off the floor. “what, do yo want me to do your homework for you or something? well, i've got news for you buddy. i don’t even do my own homework.” 

“that’s not what i had in mind. why on earth would i trust you with my homework? you’re failing practically every class.” the dark haired male scoffed. “just meet me at the gates after school. and it’s hyung to you.”

 

little did he know, that would be the day that changed his life forever.


	2. Chapter 2

once the lunch bell rang, donghyuck ran to his table where his friends where waiting for him. they had all known each other long enough to know that the look on the tan male’s face meant that he had done something he wasn’t supposed to. 

with a sigh, the eldest of their friend group, renjun, asked, “what did you do this time? did you get detention again?” 

“surprisingly, no.” the whole table gasped at donghyuck’s words. said boy just glared at them and continued to talk. “i think mark is gonna try to kill me after school. before you get any ideas, no, i didn’t do anything to him…. well, okay, so maybe i spilled coffee on his shirt, but it was an accident!”

renjun just shook his head, “yeah, i bet it was an accident. why do you guys hate each other anyway?” 

the sun kissed male had never explained what their fight had been about to anyone, not even his closest friends. there were only two reasons he voweled to himself that he’d never tell anyone. number one, because he was embarrassed. and number two, because he was scared. he was scared about what people would think about him when they found out, so he closed it off and never told anyone. 

“no reason,” he shrugged, going to his normal excuse. “he just has a very hatable face. lele, gimme some of your lunch pleasee.” over the years, donghyuck had become quite skilled at changing the conversation topic to something else.

chenle, who was too preoccupied admiring his best friend and long time crush, jisung, just shoved his homemade lunch over to the elder. it’s not like he was gonna eat it anyway, he’d always forget about it. it was a surprise that the youngest of the group hadn’t noticed his not so secret admirer. 

“anyway, back to my problem.” donghyuck said, gaining everyones attention again. “mark told me to meet him at the gates after school, and i don’t want to die. but, if i don’t go he’ll probably kill me. what do i do?” 

“plan your funeral?” jaemin suggested. “you’re gonna die either way you might as well do it. that way you’ll at least have the kind of funeral you want.”

“or you could go into hiding.” jeno said from beside jaemin. “my basement is free if you wanna hide there.”

“or you could do the responsible thing and just go see what mark hyung wants.” renjun told the distressed male, “if you do die, i’ll make sure they don’t burry you in white, it’s not your color.” 

everyone except donghyuck was laughing. said male wore a glare on his face. the table soon quieted down once everyone got a look at his face. “thank you all so much for your help, but i’ll be talking my leave now. good day.” the bitterness in his words made everyone shiver as they watched him walk out of the cafeteria.

“we messed up, didn’t we?” chenle asked, wearing as small frown on his face. the rest of them just sighed and nodded.

“i have class with him after lunch, i’ll talk to him.” jeno told everyone before going back to eating his lunch. the silence at the table was eating everyone up inside, but no one did anything. 

 

___

 

“why do i ever ask them for help.” donghuyck sighed, kicking the wall and regretting it soon after. “shit! that hurt.” due to hopping around and clutching his injured foot while strings of curse words left his mouth, he didn’t see the body walking right towards him until he was on the ground. 

“ow! who the fuck just knocked me over?” he asked the person, lifting his head slightly to see who it was.

“hi.” none other than mark lee said, a smile wide on his face as he looked down at the younger male on the floor. 

“today couldn’t get any better, now could it? stop looking at me like that you creep.” donghyuck groaned, not even bothering to get up off the floor for the second time that day. “go away and let me wallow in peace.”

“sorry, can’t do that today hyuckie.” 

the younger of the gagged when he heard the nickname slip from his mouth. “never ever call me that again. if you do, i’ll kick you between the legs so hard that you won’t be able to pee for a month.” 

“I wouldn’t do that if i were you. remember that i know something about you no one else does. i don’t think that you’d like that getting out, now would you?” the smirk mark wore on his lips made the latter feel sick. 

“no… i wouldn’t like that. please don’t tell anyone.” he looked and sounded defeated. pitiful is a good word to describe what he looked like. 

“good. then i suggest that you get your ugly ass up off the floor, cheer up a bit, and be there after school today. if not, then the whole school will know your dirty little secret, hyuckiee~” he sung the nickname as he walked away, already heading to his next class. 

“god dammit.” donghyuck said, sitting up on his knees and punching the ground. “you make one fucking mistake and suddenly your whole life comes tumbling down.” hot tears ran down his cheeks as he sat in the hallway, waiting for the lunch period to end.


	3. Chapter 3

as donghyuck waited just outside of the school gates, he grew agitated. it had been exactly thirty seven minutes since the last bell of the day had rung and mark still hadn’t showed up. he’d been standing in the freezing cold january weather in nothing more than his school uniform and a plaid scarf. to say the least, he was freezing. 

the small boy was just about to give up and leave as a black car pulled up next to him. it wasn’t just any old black car, it was mark’s old black car. well actually, it was fairly new, couldn’t be more than two years old. donghyuck groaned as the window rolled down and the older’s face appeared. he wished that mark just hadn’t shown up at all, at least then he wouldn’t have to do anything. 

“what?” mark asked, a smirk evident on his face. “are you not happy to see me?” 

donghyuck just glared at the older, giving him a sarcastic response. “oh, i’m just so excited to see you, markie poo.” 

mark ignored the small boy’s words an let his smirk fall from hi face. “get in.” he gestured towards the back seat of the car. 

shaking his head, donghyuck didn’t move towards the car. “no way. are you going to kidnap me or something? you’re probably going to murder me in your basement or something. maybe torture-“

“oh my god, will you just shut up and get in the car?” mark interrupted him, obviously annoyed. donghyuck got in the car, disregarding his previous thoughts. he sat in the back seat without saying another word the whole ride. instead of speaking, he twiddled with his thumbs. 

when they arrived at their destination, the smaller of the two nearly fell out of the car. they were parked in front of what had to have been the biggest mansion donghyuck had ever seen. “d-do you live here?” he choked out, still trying to process the fact that something like this existed. mark just nodded and walked to the front door, obviously wanting the other to follow him. which the smaller did, he practically ran through the front door. “y’know, if you’re gonna kill me or something, can i at least raid your kitchen first?”

“i’m not going to kill you, that’s too much work. and i’m too pretty to be in jail. instead, you’re going to do whatever i ask!” mark smiled as he spoke, however, donghyuck’s face dropped.

the smaller shook his head. “nuh uh, no way. don’t you have maids or something for that? a butler? or better yet, you could just do it yourself.”

“my parents are against the whole maid and butler thing. since you’re around my age, whenever they're home i can just say that you’re a friend from school.” he said, walking up stairs to his room.

donghyuck quickly ran after him. “how is this fair? all i did was spill some coffee on your shirt. and i’m sure that you just got that from the school.” 

ignoring him, mark flopped onto his king sized bed and pulled out his phone. he let the younger stand there for a few minutes before placing his phone down and pulling out a twenty dollar bill. he handed it to the other and smiled. “go get me some ramen from the convenience store down the street. pick up some sweethearts as well. and don't forget what i have, hyuckie. don’t want your life to be ruined now do we?”

shivers were sent down donghyucks spine as the taller spoke. he took the money and went back down stairs without a word. when he reached the bottom of the stairs he realized that he didn’t have a car, nor did he know his way around the neighborhood. he didn’t want to go back up the stairs and bother mark again, afraid of what could happen, so he ventured out without any idea of where he was going. he thought he remembered seeing a store on the way to the house, so he walked that way. but he soon figured out that he was wrong and had to walk all the way back to the other side of the neighborhood. 

when he finally arrived at the convenience store, both his hands and feet were numb from the cold. “convenient my ass.” he mumbled as he walked in and got what the older has asked for. he payed quickly and sprinted back to the house. when he had finally made it back to the taller with everything he’d asked for, he was out of breath, feeling and tired. it had been just over an hour and a half since he left for a chore that should’ve taken him no more than fifteen minutes. 

“god, what took you so long?” mark questioned and took the plastic bag filled with his food from the other. 

“i got lost… sorry.” donghyuck mumbled, looking as his feet. still slightly out of breath from the sprint, his breathing was fast and uneven. 

the older shook his head and pointed to a room down the hallway. “you can stay there tonight. don't contaminate anything and be up by 6 six am sharp.” he then pushed the small boy out of his room and slammed the door in his face. 

“what a fun day…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! i'm sorry for being gone for so long. i kind of lost interest in writing for a little bit, but after lots of reading and soul searching, i'm back and better than ever! i'm sorry if this chapter seems like a bit of a mess. i've been very sleep deprived the past few days, but more i've been more inspired to write than ever. i hope you enjoy this chapter and i'll try to get another one up as soon as i can!

the next day, donghyuck looked a little bit worse for wear. his hair was as disheveled as it had been in quite a while, the bags beneath his eyes had only grown darker, and his skin looked pale, almost sickly. it was obvious he hadn’t slept well. he had spent most of the night debating wether or not this was all worth it. sure, he could just buy mark a new shirt. he'd have to work a few extra shifts at the coffee shop he worked part time at, but he could still do it. then he began to wonder why mark wasn’t wearing his school uniform anyway. students were required to wear their uniforms to school, however, he’d always heard mark complain about how they were horrible between classes. and of course the older boy could get away with anything he wanted. he had the whole school wrapped around his finger. his parents were the ones who kept the school running with their monthly donations, so the tan boy figured thats why he could get whatever he wanted.

by the time donghyuck was able to shut his brain off and sleep, it was already four in the morning, two short hours before he was supposed to be awake. thankfully, he was able to sleep the whole two hours before his alarm rang annoyingly loud. even from the second he woke up was hell. he hadn’t even gotten out of bed when mark busted into the room he was staying in and demanded that the groggy boy made breakfast. 

when the half asleep boy heard the door slam against the wall, he jumped so hard and fell out of bed. he was left confused underneath a pile of blankets as mark said something about french toast before leaving the room. 

donghyuck took a few minutes to collect himself before quickly making the bed he had slept in and rushing downstairs. once he found the kitchen in the older boy’s gigantic house, he made what he had heard the boy talk about. now, he had never actually made french toast, but he did find a recipe in a cookbook that was conveniently stored on a shelf next to the stove. he decided to call it quits when he had made three pieces that looked decent. he placed the toast on a plate and slid it over to where the dark haired boy was on his phone. in response, mark said, without looking away from his phone. “go get dressed or you’ll be walking to school today.”

to say the least, donghyuck didn’t waste anytime in getting his uniform. it didn’t take him long considering that he only had to slip on his pants and blazer due to him sleeping his just his school shirt and boxers. however, due to the lack of sleep and mark yelling at him from downstairs, half his buttons were left undone and the other half were buttoned wrong. he stumbled downstairs looking like a lost puppy with his bag in his arms and hair still a mess. 

mark had finished his breakfast by the time the tousled boy nearly tripped down the stairs, and was waiting for him by the front door. he had his keys in hand and was tapping his foot as if he had been waiting for ages, when in reality it had only been two minutes.

a groan escaped the elder boy’s lips when he saw the other walk down the stairs. “it took you long enough. and the french toast was soggy.” he grumbled, walking out of the front door and motioning for the other to follow. donghyuck followed as he attempted to slip his shoes on, nearly tripping as he did so. they made their way out to the same black car that they had ridden in the previous day. mark hopped into the driver’s seat as the smaller hastily climbed into the back. 

not long after they exited the neighborhood, mark spoke up to break the awkward silence hanging in the air. “i’m going to drop you off a block away from school.” he said, his voice sounding cold. “i don’t want anyone to think that we’re friends.” donghyuck swore that he heard a hint of regret or guilt in the cruel boy’s voice, but he shook it off as sleep deprivation. 

mark kept his word, stopping the car a block away from the school, near an empty alleyway that looked as if no one had entered it in years. the honey skinned boy got out of the car without a word and watch as it drove off. and again, he thought he saw a tiny bit of sadness in the other’s eyes. but of course mark wouldn’t show his emotions, would he? he never had before, especially not when donghyuck was around. so yet again, he brushed it off as a simple delusion his brain made up due to lack of sleep and began the walk to school. 

the boy was expecting to be hit with a bunch of worried questions from his friends when he entered the school’s gates. instead, he saw something that made his heart ache. his friends were all laughing, probably from something dumb chenle had said. it hurt even more when he walked right past them and no one said a word to him. they didn’t even say a word to him. he supposed that he was being a bit dramatic the other day. they probably just thought he was joking or that he would be fine the next day. after all, he was always dramatic.

fortunately, when he got to his locker, johnny was standing there. johnny was a senior and donghyuck’s cousin. and to be quite honest, johnny was probably donghyuck’s favorite person. even though he was two year older, he still treated the younger like he treated all of his friends, only he tended to look out for him more. the overly tall boy felt the need to take care of the smaller, like a big brother sort of feeling. 

“no offense, but you kinda look like a zombie.” johnny said as the other approached his locker. “rough night?”

donghyuck nodded as he grabbed his notebook from his locker. “you wouldn’t believe me if i told you what happened.” he said, almost mumbling his words. “if i’m being honest hyung, i dunno how i’m gonna make it through the day.”

the taller boy’s face turned into one of pity when he heard how exhausted the other’s voice was. “i’m sorry hyuck. do you wan’t me to talk to the nurse about getting you excused for not feeling well?” 

with a shake of his head donghyuck denied the taller’s request. “i’m okay. thank you, hyung.” i’ll just try to sleep in the library during lunch or something.” 

“but hyuck, you look like you're about to pass out. don’t you have work today too?” he asked, obviously concerned for the younger boy.

before donghyuck could answer, the bell rang, signaling that they needed to start making their way to their classes. “i’ll talk to you later. bye johnny hyung.” he mumbled before rushing off to his first class of the day. 

of course his day started out with math, a class he shared with both jeno and renjun. he hoped that one of them would make an attempt to talk to him. but at the same, he wished that they would keep ignoring him. he didn’t feel like explaining himself to them at the moment and them. however, he couldn’t help the ache in his heart that returned when he saw them sitting together and staring at something on jeno’s phone. once again, they ignored him as he walked past them, hiding away in one of the back corners of the classroom. now, of course he had expected this, those two were practically glued together. but they always managed to at least say hi and smile at him when he would walk to his seat. 

for the rest of the class he tried to keep himself from moping and even dozed off a bit, as they were only reviewing what they had learned the week before. it was only fifteen minutes into the class when he started drooling on his textbook. thankfully his teacher was actually nice and didn’t mind when people dozed off in reviews, so donghyuck was able to sleep the majority of the class without any interruptions. but while he was sleeping, he wasn’t able to see the worried looks that jeno and renjun gave him. it wasn’t like him to doze off in class. even though he may have seemed childish outside of school, he took his studies quite seriously. 

though it didn’t seem like it, his friends were worried. donghyuck had come to school with dark eye bags and would nap during lunch on those days, but never in class. however, the worry that hung in the air was cut short as the bell rang again, waking doe eyed boy up as well as ending their first class.  
donghyuck was drowsy when he woke up, he always was. but slowly, he woke up a bit more and gathered his things before making his way out of the class room to his next subject. 

he ignored the worried eyes of his friends between his next few classes as he attempted to stay awake. it was during his lunch period when his friends finally came looking for him. the tired boy was sleeping awkwardly in a chair when his friend group stumbled upon him. they didn’t bother to wake him up until 5 minutes before lunch ended. as they wanted him to get as much sleep as possible, but they also wanted to apologize for the previous day. 

when donghyuck was shaken awake, he wasn’t expecting to be to be surrounded by his friends, all with nervous looks on their faces. but his sleepy mind didn’t register it and just brushed the hand shaking his shoulder off and closed his eyes again, mumbling something about five more minutes. but the hand started shaking him again, forcing his mind to become more awake as he opened his eyes for a second time. “hm?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes softly to make sure he was seeing things right.

“hey hyuckie,” renjun said softly. “we’re sorry for waking you, but we wanted to say sorry for how we acted yesterday.” that caused donghyuck to smile softly, the warm and soft tone the older boy used felt inviting and sincere. renjun always knew how to handle situations like this. “we were dumb and didn’t think that you would actually be upset by what we said. and we hope that you’ll forgive us.” 

the younger book took a moment to think, looking at all his friends faces to see if they all meant it. and it certainly looked like they did. “okay.. i forgive you guys. but you owe me lunch for the next week.” as he spoke, relief flew over everyone’s face. 

“okay deal.” jaemin said, “now lets get to class before mr. lee yells at us again.” donghyuck laughed and nodded, getting up from the chair he was in and stretching before grabbing his backpack and waving goodbye to everyone before walking off to history with jaemin. 

the rest of the day flew by quite quickly for the honey skinned boy, everything from there on went pretty well. however, when school ended, mark came right back into his life to make everything a living hell. 

when donghyuck was walking home so he could change into his work clothes, he noticed a black car following him. at first, he was nervous. but when he realized who the car belonged to, he rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed groan. walking faster, he quickly turned onto his street and headed for his house. once he was inside, he locked the door and headed for the kitchen as he ha only just remembered food was something your body kinda needed. 

the boy was halfway through making a sandwich when there was a knock on the door. figuring it was probably mark, he continued to make his sandwich. he turned on the tv quite loud to make sure the other boy knew he was being ignored. the knocking continued as donghyuck slipped into his work clothes, tossing his uniform into the washer before grabbing his backpack and walking out the back door to head to work. 

mark on the other hand, was still knocking on the door. it was only when he saw someone cross to the neighbors back yard that he stopped knocking and got back in his car. he knew where the smaller boy. of course this wasn’t through stalking or anything. one time, he and his friends had decided to grab coffee on their way to one of their houses and he had stumbled upon the smaller boy’s workplace, otherwise known as starbucks. 

he made his way to said starbucks to find out the donghyuck was already working. he wondered how the other boy had gotten there so fast on foot. and how he could’ve gotten there faster when mark had driven. instead of pondering for too long, he walked up to the counter with a scowl on his face. 

“you were ignoring me to come and work?” he asked, his voice surprisingly holding no trace of anger.  
“yes.” the smaller replied. “i have things that need to be payed for. so please, order or leave. you’re holding up the line.” and to mark’s surprise, donghyuck’s voice was the one with anger in his voice. 

“one coffee, black. and i expect you at my house as soon as your shift ends. i’ll be here the whole time to make sure.” mark said as the smaller boy rung up his total. 

“fine, but you can expect to be waiting for a long time. name for your order?” donghyuck asked even though he already knew what the taller would say. 

“mark. and don’t worry, i’ve got time.” said the dark hair boy before walking off and finding a seat.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone's worried about what's happening to donghyuck, even someone unexpected.

it was safe to say that the next few weeks weren’t any fun for donghyuck. the task of balancing school, work, and having to do nearly everything for mark took a bit of a tole on the young boy. he had trouble finding time for simple everyday things like eating dinner or studying. he’d become reclusive from his friends, opting to not hang out with them as much. not like he really had a choice to though. 

mark practically controlled his life at this point. he couldn’t find anytime to himself. the older boy was there when he was at work, at school, even when he actually had time to be home. it would’ve been at least slightly tolerable if mark wasn’t so moody about everything. 

“donghyuck, i have a project in history due on thursday, get to work. i expect at least an a minus.” mark’s voice shouted from the living room of donghyuck’s house. the older had invited himself into the house after school, helping himself to whatever was in the kitchen.

the younger boy rolled his eyes, and sat down on the chair opposite of where mark was sitting, “you do know that i barely have a b average, right?” he asked while glaring at the taller. 

“i don’t care. i want at least an a minus, so i’m going to get at least an a minus.” mark replied as he flipped through tv channels. 

donghyuck rolled his eyes again, he found himself doing that rather often these days. “if you want an a minus, do it yourself, marker. i don’t know if you know this, but i also have projects due. and if i fail and don’t know anything, then you’ll fail as well.” he huffed, opening his text book to start his and the other boy’s homework. 

mark groaned and threw the tv remote on the coffee table. “why do you have to be so difficult.” he sent a look towards the younger, resisting the urge to curse him out.

“maybe of you weren’t such an ass, i wouldn’t be so difficult.” donghuck muttered under his breath. 

“maybe i wouldn’t be such an ass if you weren't so difficult.” mark mocked the younger. 

the tan boy let out a huff and shook his head at the other’s childish antics. “whatever marker.” donghyuck said, standing up and walking to his room, deciding it was best to just leave mark alone. 

he sat down at his desk and tried his best to focus on the work that he was supposed to be doing, but he found his mind drifting. soon enough he had abandoned the homework and snuck out of the back door, making sure mark didn’t have a clue. 

the boy desperately needed some time to himself, so he took a walk while blasting random songs in cheep earbuds he’d bought from the convenience store for five dollars. 

he walked for what seemed like hours before he reached a small park on the edge of town. by then, it was already dark and he had multiple texts and missed class from mark. he was probably gonna be yelled at by the older when he got home, but he didn’t care much. he just needed to take a breath and relax for a second. 

but apparently that second lasted longer than he thought. 

johnny had showed up about an hour after donghyuck arrived at the park and he looked rather worried. his face immediately changed into a face of relief when he spotted the young boy sitting on a swing. 

“hyuck,” johnny said as he approached the boy, almost making him fall of the swing as he hugged the younger. “i was so worried.”

donghyck, of course, was confused. he didn’t know why the older would be worried, he just went on a short walk. “why were you worried? did something happen?” he asked as johnny pulled away from the hug and sat down on the swing next to him.

“mark called me and said that you disappeared. he sounded worried so i started looking for you, i called you but you didn’t answer.” johnny explained, holding onto the younger boy’s hand as if he was afraid donghyuck would run away again. 

“oh.. sorry, i just went on a walk to clear my head for a bit. i didn’t mean to worry anyone.” donghyuck responded, trying to hide his surprise when he heard mark was worried about him. it wasn’t like mark to be worried about anyone other than himself. 

johnny just sighed and pulled donghyuck off the swing and into another hug, but this one was tighter, more comforting. “hyuckie, i don’t know whats been going on in that little head of yours recently, but i want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. you’re like a little brother to me and i worry about you.” 

johnny’s words made donghyuck feel bad for how he’s been acting recently, a sense of guilt took over his entire body. “i’m sorry.” he mumbled, “but i’m fine, i promise. i’ve just been a little tired recently.” of course it was a lie, his voice even gave it away, breaking slightly every few words, but they both ignored that. they both silently accepted the fact that the younger wasn’t ready to talk. 

“how about you stay at mine and doyoung’s tonight?” doyoung was johnny’s roommate, they stayed together since both of their parents traveled a lot. “i’ll make you some dinner and we can force do young to watch movies with us. hows that sound?” johnny asked, his voice softening like he was talking to a child who had lost their mother in a crowd. 

donghyuck didn’t say anything, he just nodded and tightened his grip on the taller. he’d forgotten all about mark and his homework, just wanting sleep. 

johnny took that as a big enough sign that the younger was past the point of exhaustion and picked him up, placing donghyuck like a hip like how you would carry a child. he smiled as the younger placed his head down on his shoulder. 

he began the walk back to where he had parked liked that, holding the smaller boy tightly with a soft smile ghosting his lips. but his mind was still running wild with worries. after all, donghyuck was almost passed out in his arms. the boy felt so boney, johnny couldn’t help but wonder if he had a proper meal in the past few weeks because it sure didn’t look like it. 

but he kept his worries quiet as he set the younger down in the passenger’s seat of his car. he watched as donghyuck fell asleep with his head resting against the window. he texted mark to tell him that donghyuck was okay. he also called the school and told them donghyuck wouldn’t be going to school the next day due to being sick. 

he wasn’t going to let the younger destroy himself, he’d seen that happen to too many people before and he didn’t want that to happen to donghyuck. the boy had such a bright future and was capable of so many things beyond his imagination, he just needed to stop trying to do everything by himself and accept some help every now and then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone!! i know that it's been quite a while and i apologize for that. i've tried to write this chapter so many times and none of it felt right. but i think this version is at least decent-ish. 
> 
> i wanted to take a second to thank everyone for all the kudos, i really appreciate all of them. and i really appreciate all of you. i'd love to hear your feedback on my story, or how you relate to any of the characters. 
> 
> i wanted to take another second to talk about a few things i mentioned in this chapter. 
> 
> number one is how i compare donghyuck to a child.   
> this is how donghyuck views himself, as a lost child. he's alone without his parents and is scared. he doesn't know how to take care of himself or handle the real world.
> 
> the next one kind of goes along with this.
> 
> johnny and donghyuck's relationship with each other.  
> johnny sees donghyuck as a little brother, but like a baby brother. he sees donghyuck as younger than he actually is and that's because it's so obvious that the younger doesn't know what he's doing in life. johnny feels the need to protect and care for donghyuck because of how young, innocent and lost he is. 
> 
> lastly, marks worry.   
> mark is starting to get attached and care for donghyuck, and this will be shown more in future chapters. but this is the beginning of their transition from enemies to friends. 
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, i promise to have the next one up soon! please feel free to comment, i love reading your opinions on this and i take all of them to heart!
> 
> pls be nice i'm sensitive:>
> 
> i love you guys!!
> 
> also this isn't edited so i'm sorry for any mistakes!


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